Congress Members Discuss Defunding Planned Parenthood

Pro-life Congress members gathered on the House floor this past week to take a stand against what they said was a senseless waste of taxpayer’s dollars that has been propping up the nation’s largest provider of surgical abortions – Planned Parenthood.

"I rise today to highlight the practices of an industry that is characterized by death, deception and depression: the abortion industry," said Rep. Joseph Pitts of Pennsylvania in a statement.

According to figures released by Planned Parenthood, the group raked in over $1 billion in profits and received over $300 million in taxpayer funding last year – a significant proportion of which is used to help elect pro-choice candidates into office.

"Planned Parenthood is using your tax dollars to raise more money to run against your candidate, to elect someone who will give them more tax dollars,” explained Ohio Rep. Jim Jordan in a statement on the need to defund the organization.

While the efforts by pro-life Congress members this past week represented the voice of only about a dozen lawmakers, the American Life League said that it was encouraged to see that popular opinion was gradually swaying against the organization.

"We are elated that members of the House are officially condemning Planned Parenthood and hope this will translate into the end of taxpayer funding for the nation's largest abortion chain,” the group said in a statement.

“Forty-five percent of the House voted against Planned Parenthood funding last year, and clearly the outpouring of sentiment against Planned Parenthood in the Special Order shows that members of Congress are beginning to understand the evils of Planned Parenthood," the group added.

Currently, Planned Parenthood is responsible for about one of out every four abortions performed in the country, according to recent figures. During the 2006-2007 period, 289,570 abortions were performed throughout its 860 locations - an increase of nearly 25,000 from the previous year and the highest figure on record.

Founded in 1916 by Margaret Sanger, Planned Parenthood operates in all 50 states and the District of Columbia, describing itself as "the nation's leading sexual and reproductive health care advocate and provider."